Verreaux’s Eagle
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0

Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks

Verreaux’s Eagle

Aquila verreauxii

LCLeast Concern
Family
Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
Order
Accipitriformes

Overview

Verreaux's eagle (; Aquila verreauxii) is a large, mostly African, bird of prey. It is also called the black eagle, especially in southern Africa, not to be confused with the black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis) of south and southeast Asia. The Verreaux's eagle lives in hilly and mountainous regions of southern and eastern Africa (extending marginally into Chad, Mali and Niger), and very locally in the Middle East.
Verreaux's eagle is one of the most specialized species of accipitrid in the world, with its distribution and life history revolving around its favorite prey species, the rock hyraxes.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Locally in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Arabian Peninsula.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.